In our final sermon in the Advent series Pastor Matthew McNutt discussed LOVE. He focuses on:

1. God has had magnificent, sacrificial love for us from the beginning.

2. The greatest story every told includes YOU!

3. We are called to make God's love visible today.

Joy is the emotional by-product of peace and hope. God wants our lives to be overflowing with joy, and everyone longs for joy. How do we find lasting joy? Psalm 16:1-11 teaches us three things: How to find joy? Where to find joy? Why this joy will last? We are challenged to recognize what our hearts are "running after" and to consider the source of lasting joy.

Although the world we live in knows no settled peace, the prophet Isaiah speaks of the One called the "Prince of Peace" (Isa. 9:6-7). Isaiah is referring to the Messiah, Jesus Christ, who makes possible our peace with God. The Messiah enables us to have internal peace, relational peace and circumstantial peace.

The word advent means long-anticipated arrival. In this first week of Advent, we look to the prophesies of Isaiah 42:1-7 to find hope in the coming Messiah. Isaiah identifies the messiah as Jesus Christ who brings hope as (1) the agent of universal justice worldwide; (2) the hope of all peoples; and (3) the humble healer.

In 1 Peter 1:22-2:3, we see that even in the hardships of life Christians can be people whose lives are characterized by love. There are two truth principles here. First, without the new birth –the transformation that occurs through belief in the gospel – people are incapable of truly living out Christian love. The second principle is that love is the acid test of Christian faith.

We see in 1 Peter 1:13-21 that Peter issues a call to action in light of our position as dual citizens of heaven and earth. Practically, Christians can balance our dual citizenship by: 1. Sober-mindedly following Christ; 2. Being conformed to the holiness of Christ; 3. Living as though we were ransomed by Christ; and 4. Placing our faith and hope in the God who saved us.

Pastor Nate speaks about three areas of BVBC's vision in which the church is currently focusing. One is Missional Impact with the priorities being ministries to marriage, families, those in recovery and effective gospel partnerships in Wilmington. The second area of focus is the Spiritual Health of the church, including shepherding of members, meaningful membership and biblical stewardship. The third area is Hospitality; that is, creating a welcoming space for the church body and community.

The apostle Peter says in 1 Peter 1:6 that Christians can experience both joy and grief simultaneously. This sermon explains how this is possible. We see from scripture: why we rejoice; why we grieve; and why we rejoice while we grieve. Scripture tells us there is a purpose in suffering, and we can rejoice because we know that the outcome is a glorious future.

This sermon provides the introduction, background and context of 1 Peter. We learn that this book was likely written by the apostle Peter who was addressing Christians scattered abroad who were about to face a time of intense persecution and suffering. Who are these citizens of both heaven and earth, and what does this tell us about the identity of modern-day Christians?

Our understanding of the greatness of God is a foundational element of our Christian faith. If we undervalue the majesty of God, we live our lives out of balance. Through the example of Moses's encounter with God in Exodus 3:13-14, we learn that the majesty of God is often revealed through our inadequacies.